


Castle Made of Sand

by PreseaMoon



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-03
Updated: 2015-04-03
Packaged: 2018-03-21 00:14:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3670275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PreseaMoon/pseuds/PreseaMoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Athina ❤ ❤ ❤ ad infinitum</p><p>I hope you have/had a lovely birthday! We have not had much time to chat, so I could not get a better feel for what you may want. I did what I could, so I hope you are not disappointed ;w; </p><p>It is not as long as what you wrote me, and I hope this is okay. I did really good at the beginning of the month! And then kept thinking I had more time than was actually available towards the end and other things happened orz please forgive me. In any case, I look forward to writing things for you in the future! I will do my best to be deserving of your approval.</p><p>And tbh we should consider serial killer au at least partially for you, since I likely would not have started it without your encouragement. But that won’t be done for a while…</p><p>Thank you for talking to me! I like you and your existence and your words. Let’s continue friendship and talk for the foreseeable future ❤</p><p>-</p><p>For context: Yuu is emperor, Ren is advisor, and Hakuei and Hakuryuu are usually out doing campaigning and ambassador work and stuff. Al-thamen is not at the palace, and Gyokuen has faked her death. This probably has some implications for Judar in particular, but we don’t have to concern ourselves with that here.</p><p>Everybody Lives, but we don’t really get into that here.</p><p>I was going to add some characterization notes and stuff, because of something, but I am so burnt out I can’t articulate anything. If that is something you have interest in hearing, please say so and I will dedicate myself to forming sentences.</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [setosdarkness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/setosdarkness/gifts).



> Athina ❤ ❤ ❤ ad infinitum
> 
> I hope you have/had a lovely birthday! We have not had much time to chat, so I could not get a better feel for what you may want. I did what I could, so I hope you are not disappointed ;w; 
> 
> It is not as long as what you wrote me, and I hope this is okay. I did really good at the beginning of the month! And then kept thinking I had more time than was actually available towards the end and other things happened orz please forgive me. In any case, I look forward to writing things for you in the future! I will do my best to be deserving of your approval.
> 
> And tbh we should consider serial killer au at least partially for you, since I likely would not have started it without your encouragement. But that won’t be done for a while…
> 
> Thank you for talking to me! I like you and your existence and your words. Let’s continue friendship and talk for the foreseeable future ❤
> 
> -
> 
> For context: Yuu is emperor, Ren is advisor, and Hakuei and Hakuryuu are usually out doing campaigning and ambassador work and stuff. Al-thamen is not at the palace, and Gyokuen has faked her death. This probably has some implications for Judar in particular, but we don’t have to concern ourselves with that here.
> 
> Everybody Lives, but we don’t really get into that here.
> 
> I was going to add some characterization notes and stuff, because of something, but I am so burnt out I can’t articulate anything. If that is something you have interest in hearing, please say so and I will dedicate myself to forming sentences.

Hakuryuu is late. Birds are chirping incessantly, slivers of early morning light slip in through the cracks in the tent, and Hakuryuu is late for the first time in years.

Pouting, Judar stares at the tent flap in an effort to will Hakuryuu into arriving; it’s worked before. Every gust of wind that shifts the tent wall has him pushing himself up in anticipation, and then, upon seeing the fabric settle, leaves him dropping heavily to his pillow with an impatient whine. From there he keeps watch with a single eye, as though Hakuryuu will appear in the one moment he looks away. Perhaps he should, but the sight of Hakuryuu outlined by the morning sun is one of his favorites. 

So Judar waits and waits and keeps waiting, because Hakuryuu doesn’t like it when he searches him out unnecessarily. While there are definitely instances where he steadfastly keeps patient, waiting for Hakuryuu to join him in his tent doesn’t make the cut. As is usual, he’s spent the past… since he woke up at the break of dawn working himself up by fantasizing over and over the things he and Hakuryuu are going to do to each other the as soon as he gets here. 

If he ever gets here, that is.

Hakuryuu doesn’t oversleep. In fact, Judar suspects Hakuryuu is incapable of such a thing. If there were an emergency of some kind, Hakuryuu would get him first. And if he couldn’t be here, there’d be enough commotion outside to alert him of whatever was going on. Hakuryuu would never not show up without any notice. If he had to cancel, even abruptly, he’d let Judar know.

He would never not show up. The certainty of that statement makes Judar nervous. But if something were wrong with Hakuryuu, if he hurt himself somehow or became savagely ill out of nowhere, he would be informed very soon after if not immediately. No one knows about their morning trysts or anything, but they are a pair. He’s sort of the unofficial second in command. If anything happened to Hakuryuu, making sure he knows is a priority.

None of that puts him at ease, because if nothing has happened to Hakuryuu, then why isn’t he here? And if someone is wrong with Hakuryuu, why hasn’t anyone told him?

With a groan, Judar rolls out of his cot and uses magic to prevent himself from hitting the ground. If magic could alleviate anxiety that would be amazing, but as far as he knows it doesn’t, so he’s stuck with overwhelmingly nausea as he dresses. He’d been looking forward to Hakuryuu braiding his hair and hesitates briefly before instructing the rukh to weave it into a loose braid. 

He tugs his hood up to cover his head for his stroll through their camp, not that it will afford him any anonymity. The people of Kou choose to be cutouts of each other even when there’s not a requirement. Maybe it’s so people like Judar and the imperial family can stand out more, but that’s unlikely for their soldiers.

Their camp is fairly small, although it isn’t the smallest they’ve had. His tent and Hakuryuu’s are on opposite ends so they can keep a better track of the comings and goings of the camp. They have around a hundred soldiers right now, and most of them are already up and about. Judar isn’t about to ask any of them if they’ve seen Hakuryuu, though.

He makes a beeline for Hakuryuu’s tent. There a few places he could be, but that’s the best start. He thinks of how annoyed yet relieved he will be to find Hakuryuu lazily getting ready to meet with him, or hastily getting ready to meet with him because he beat the odds and slept in for once in his life. And as apology, he’ll let Judar do whatever he wants to him right there in the middle of his tent regardless of the guards stationed outside.

No one approaches him as he briskly makes his way through camp, which is typical since Judar’s official duties involve no one but Hakuryuu. However, several soldiers make a point to look away when he nears, which he’s never noticed before and is for that reason probably unusual. If he and Hakuryuu had just finished a particularly loud and exciting morning maybe that reaction would be understandable, but that doesn’t happen. They’re very discreet when practically in public, surrounded by people who will know without a doubt what and who they’ve heard.

When Hakuryuu’s tent is in sight, for some reason Judar gets annoyed to see the guard standing there like nothing is out of place. As he gets closer, he can feel his face contort into a scowl. He wants to start shooting off questions before they’ll even be heard. That will draw attention to him, though, so he refrains until he’s been addressed first.

The guard captain bows to him. “Lord Priest, how unusual to see you this early in the morning.”

“Where’s the prince?” He tries to keep the annoyance out of voice but fails. Or he doesn’t fail, but the annoyance sounds like intimidation, which is worse.

The captain blinks in surprise. He looks back toward the tent very briefly. “I would assume he’s asleep. Though, it’s not unusual for him to start training this early,” he offers.

“You don’t know where he is?”

“Ah, no sir. The prince has a habit of sneaking out. Locating him has never been easy.” He doesn’t have the decency to sound ashamed about that.

Judar can’t resist smirking, because he’s the one who convinced Hakuryuu to start that practice in the first place. “Must make it hard to guard him, huh?”

There isn’t a response at first, like he suspects Judar’s question is a barb at his ability, which it is and isn’t, but then he admits, “Sometimes.” 

Already bored, Judar pats the man’s shoulder guard and makes for the entrance, only to be halted several steps in. An arm bars his path and the other soldiers look prepared to join in if needed.

“Lord Priest, what are you doing?”

“I’m going to see the prince.” Judar smiles. “Are you going to stop me? You know I have more authority than you, right?”

The arm lowers. “I—No sir. Just. Knowing Prince Hakuryuu, I think he’d appreciate being left alone.”

“You’re not wrong.” But as with many things, Judar is an exception. There’s no need to publicize that sort of thing, though. The secrecy of their relationship is part of what makes it exciting. “But I don’t care.”

A profound mixture of sadness and anxiety washes over him at seeing the empty, intact tent. No sign of Hakuryuu anywhere. Everything is where it should be. Even his cot is undisturbed. It leaves a bad taste in Judar’s mouth. There should be something, some sign of life.

He forces aside the tent flap. “The prince isn’t here.”

The guard captain flinches at his brusque tone. “As I said, Lord Priest, he’s probably training.”

But he’s not. Judar knows for a fact he’s not. He narrows his eyes, heads back into Hakuryuu’s tent and out the back, and floats into the air. From there he circles the camp, looking for the right speck of blue-black, but Hakuryuu is nowhere to be seen. 

It’s quite a distance between their tents. Maybe Hakuryuu got held up somewhere. Maybe there was a problem that needed attention and, like always, he couldn’t look away. It’s not like asking someone to inform Judar he’d be unable to make it to their tryst would be an option.

He flies the perimeter, getting close, heading into and out of tents, searching every inch of their camp. The anxiety is overridden by anger before long. Not at Hakuryuu, though, never at Hakuryuu, but no one is saying anything. No asks why he’s flying about, or if there’s cause for alarm. No one mentions if they’ve seen the prince anywhere. Everyone goes on as if nothing is out of place when everything is if Hakuryuu isn’t here.

He returns to the entrance of Hakuryuu’s tent, rushing forward and dragging the guard captain inside, with surrounding guards sputtering in confusion but doing nothing. He heaves the man forward and looks him up and down for signs of—he doesn’t know what—treachery? Deception?

The guard is younger than a guard captain entrusted with a prince should be. Since the day he was assigned this post he’s lacked confidence, drive, and ability. Both Judar and Hakuryuu could best him in combat. Judar wouldn’t trust him with Hakuryuu’s life in any circumstance. He doubts Hakuyuu or Hakuren would either, if one of them had been around when this man was appointed.

When they go back to Rakushou, maybe he’ll talk to them about putting him officially in charge of protecting Hakuryuu. He’d be better at it than anyone else. As things presently are, he can only make sure Hakuryuu is protected in combat, but even with that he’s doing a vastly superior job than these fools. 

“Where’s Hakuryuu?” He takes a step forward and puts a hand on his dagger’s hilt, but the guard stands his ground, which points to his incompetence first and foremost. While Judar does his best to keep the details of his skillset to himself and Hakuryuu, everyone knows he’s a magician; that alone makes him dangerous to the ordinary soldier.

“Lord Priest, I don’t know.”

Judar tightens his grip, pulls his dagger from its sheathe just slightly. “Why are you the captain of his guard if you can’t keep track of where he is?”

The man remains mostly unruffled. “I explained that he sneaks off. He prefers to be alone and hasn’t made it habit to inform us of his plans. It’s not unusual to look in and find him gone.”

Judar smiles. “Did you know, even when he sneaks out of the palace his brothers always know where he is? He’s a prince. Not some baseborn prince, either, or Koutoku’s kid. If you can’t keep track of him, you shouldn’t have this position. But you know what?” He takes a fluid step forward, too close, within killing range. His dagger slides out another inch. “I think you know exactly where he is, or at least what happened to him. So why don’t you tell me? If you do, maybe I won’t kill you.”

“Lord Priest—”

His blade is at the man’s throat, primed to pierce through the center. “I’ll know if you’re lying. So tell me. Where’s Hakuryuu? What did you do?”

He almost looks forward to the lie. He’s going to bring him to the ground, sit on top of him, and press his blade in bit by bit until the truth he needs bleeds out. And then, once he’s got what he needs, he’s going to—

His borg goes up, leaving him somewhat dumbstruck, like freezing water has been thrown in his face.

There are increasingly frantic strikes to the barrier as Judar turns around, pulling the guard with him. Before him are about a dozen soldiers, half of which have their weapons pressed against his borg. This would be kind of funny if it weren’t so enraging.

“I’m a magi, you know? That’s not gonna work.” And with that, several spears and swords clash against the borg at once. “Man, you guys are stupid. I just said that won’t work.”

Judar kicks the guard captain’s legs out to get him to the ground and sits on him. He pricks the man’s neck deep enough that blood starts to leak out around the blade. “Where’s Hakuryuu?” When he doesn’t get an answer he says, “Any of you can answer. Where’s Hakuryuu?”

Still nothing, so he digs his dagger further in. More blood flows. The guard lets out a gasp and finally relents. “The envoy from Parthevia. That’s where Prince Hakuryuu is.”

Frowning, Judar cuts down the slightest bit. “Go on.”

“We made a trade. Prince Hakuryuu for power in his army, far more than we’ll ever get stationed with the prince.”

“What?”

“Lord Priest, surely you understand. You’ve been stuck with him longer than anyone. You’ve seen how he leads, how distanced he is from his soldiers. Emperor Hakuyuu is a great leader. Prince Hakuren, Princess Hakuei, Kouen, even Koumei and Kouha, they are all brilliant, charismatic leaders in their own right. But Prince Hakuryuu… for years he has kept himself aimlessly occupied far from the empire. He doesn’t inform anyone of his plans. He doesn’t recognize the accomplishments of his soldiers, heed advice, or—” The man cries out as Judar twists his dagger. The other soldiers uselessly attack his borg in response.

“What the hell does any of that have to do with anything? Hakuryuu is your commander. It’s your job to serve him. He doesn’t have to prove anything to you. He is your _prince_ , you should be grateful.”

This is a recurring problem with their soldiers, although none of them have ever tried anything as stupidly obviously treasonous as this before. And what’s worse is that this is more of an act against Kou, not Hakuryuu. He’s just the most convenient target to justify their frustration against.

There is a pervasive rumor among Kou’s soldiers that Hakuryuu is given reject soldiers who fail to make the cut into the main army or the armies of his siblings and cousins. This is untrue. While Judar has no idea how Kou’s soldiers are distributed in general, he’s fairly certain the belief is rooted in Hakuyuu and Hakuren’s habit of stationing Hakuryuu wherever they believe it will be safest. 

The state of things is more complicated than that, however. Hakuryuu, aware and disapproving of his older brothers’ protection, has spent most of his time away at the edge’s of Kou’s authority. This has made it difficult for contact to be maintained. As a result, Hakuryuu’s troops are frequently rotated with those from other units that happen to be passing through. Who is exchanged, who stays, why, Judar doesn’t understand any of that even when Hakuryuu explains, so maybe they do get stuck with all the rejects. Looking at the lot before him, he wouldn’t be surprised. But that’s irrelevant.

His anger gets the better of him, and he allows his dagger to pierce the guard’s shoulder, eliciting a sharp gasp. He struggles under Judar, but stops after the blade in him is jostled. “I don’t care about your reasons. Where’s Hakuryuu?”

“Lord Priest, please—” He cuts himself off with a hiss of pain. “ _Please_.”

“A location. Where is Hakuryuu?”

The guard pants. “I don’t know. I have no idea. They took him in the middle of the night. Um, I’d guess he’d keep the prince at his base. I don’t know where it is. Somewhere in the nearby forest, I think. I don’t know, I swear.”

“Why don’t you know? How is this arrangement supposed to work?”

“It… His people are coming to get us later in the day. In the meantime we’re supposed go close up camp and see if there’s anyone else who wants to come.”

Judar pulls his dagger out of the man’s shoulder and positions it back at his neck. “That’s a good point. Exactly how many traitors do we have here?”

“A little more than half of the soldiers have already agreed, and we’re in the process of convincing some more. With the prince gone, what other option is there? What about you, Lord Priest? Isn’t it clearly the better option?”

“It’s not,” he says, and then slits the man’s throat. Blood quickly pools and Judar pulls back to avoid getting it on him. Some of the remaining soldiers step away as well, though the blood won’t reach them. The rest move forward, smashing their weapons against his borg with renewed vigor.

Judar shakes his head. “You guys just don’t get it. Well, I’d love to kill you all, but finding Hakuryuu is more important. Maybe when I get back. By the way, we have a list of everyone enlisted here, so remember that when making your next move. Because the emperor is gonna punish you worse than I will when he finds out.”


	2. Chapter 2

Hakuryuu has never been held captive before. So far the experience can be summed up with: at least no one has tortured him. Yet. It’s probably not a good idea to assume it won’t happen.

No one has been by since he woke up hours ago. The torches he can’t see provide the only flickering light, which doesn’t even reach him. It stretches just beyond the bars of his cell. With it, however, he’s able to discern when the guard shifts more accurately. Three times since he’s woken up, which may be a single hour or several for all he can tell.

He knows he’s groaned and made some other pained noises since he woke up, yet no one has addressed him or checked on him.

He woke up with a terrible headache, and it hasn’t lessened any the longer he’s been here. In fact, he’s grown hungrier and that’s made it worse, and he’s stressed, so that’s not helping either. At this point he can barely move without a stab of pain. He’s irritated and a little fatigued, and the throbbing makes him want to go back to sleep.

With a sigh, he carefully sets his forehead against the cold stone of his cell.

What happened? They weren’t attacked. Someone sneaked into their camp and managed to take him without alerting anyone, including himself. Were they attacked after taking him? Or maybe they drugged him, although he doesn’t think that’s the case. 

He hopes everyone is okay. He hopes Judar is okay. He hopes Judar doesn’t do anything stupid, but knowing him he’s not going to be able to help it; his impulse control has never been impressive without Hakuryuu around.

He closes his eyes and leans more of his body against the wall. The cell itself isn’t particularly cold, but there’s a draft and his robes are thin. The stone isn’t freezing, but it’s close, and it numbs his head and skin like fabric isn’t in the way.

This could be worse, but right now it’s sort of hard to picture how at the moment. 

When he opens his eyes, he realizes he must have fallen asleep, because someone’s silhouette stands outside his cell. He doesn’t feel hungry anymore, but his head pounds even when stationary now, and he has to resist a pained exhale. That he’s awake shouldn’t be apparent, so he waits, and the man remains where he is, watching him. 

Hakuryuu runs his hand through his hair and faces the bars fully. “What do you want?”

“Prince Hakuryuu, I’m sorry about these conditions.” He recognizes the voice as the alleged envoy from Parthevia, who seemed more invested in his own interests than those of his country whenever they spoke. “I told my people to put you somewhere comfortable, but it seems they forgot. I’ll happily take you to better accommodations now.”

The echo of his cell unlocking and the creek of the door swinging open are mocking and make him cringe.

“I’m fine here,” Hakuryuu says.

Cyrus steps inside the small cell, and he’s not an especially large man, but like this he towers over Hakuryuu in both height and width. “Nonsense. I insist. We’ll be able to talk easier, and it’ll be warmer and we’ll provide you with something to eat. Please hold back your pride, Prince Hakuryuu.”

With his faculties somewhat impaired, it takes longer than it should to digest what’s been said and formulate a response. Not that he has a chance to, since Cyrus takes his immediate lack of reaction as defiance and decides to grab his wrist, yanking him to his feet.

In an effort to avoid stumbling into his captor, Hakuryuu pulls away, only to stumble into the wall instead, which also aggravates his aching head so much he feels he’s about to fall over. He doesn’t have time to regain his bearings, as he is then roughly dragged forward and into the dim hallway. The hand around his wrist is too tight, like it’s trying to pop his hand off.

He’s brought to an actual room, with a sizeable bed, a dresser, and a table with a couple of chairs. There aren’t any windows, however, and it lacks the sort of decoration that would suggest it’s not a holding cell. It lacks decoration entirely, in fact, to an extent where it looks neither Kou nor Parthevian.

When he simply stands in the center of the room doing nothing, Cyrus pushes him in the direction of the table. “Please take a seat, Prince Hakuryuu.”

Hakuryuu gives him a dirty look but doesn’t bother to ensure it’s seen. Regardless, he does as he’s told and drops into the chair. Then, he rests his forehead on his palm like it can’t be held up on its own. “How long have I been here?”

Cyrus takes a seat across from him. He crosses his legs and shrugs. “Somewhere between eight and fifteen hours. Would you like something to eat?”

Most of Hakuryuu’s glowering is obscured by his bangs. “No.”

In return, he’s looked at like he’s a petulant child. “Come now, there’s no need for that sort of behavior.”

Although he has a fairly good idea as to why he’s here, Hakuryuu decides to ask anyway.

The man’s idea is, basically, an appeal for some type of alliance between Parthevia and Kou. That’s what he calls it. An “alliance between our countries,” but it’s clearly meant as a unification between the two of them alone. Cyrus does not bring up his homeland, only himself; he talks about how their partnership can benefit Hakuryuu, not Kou. He talks like this is a new proposal Hakuryuu hasn’t already heard several times, and like he isn’t holding Hakuryuu against his will.

For not the first time, Hakuryuu finds himself wondering if this man is perhaps an exile from his home country. He’s met ambassadors from Parthevia at the palace before, and he’s met Parthevian merchants while traveling. The most they’ve ever been interested in is maintaining friendly relations and potential trade. An alliance like what’s being purposed—with combined forces—is rather unpractical when there’s so much distance separating them and the differences in their command structures. 

Hakuryuu zones out without meaning to, and is abruptly brought back to the now by a fist slamming onto the table.

Cyrus smiles pleasantly. “Prince Hakuryuu, I would think you’d have been taught better than to fall asleep during a proposition. Ah. But perhaps that’s what happens when one loses their parents so young. I shouldn’t expect so much.”

Hakuryuu isn’t sure if this man’s being delusional is to his advantage or not. He feels like it heightens his chances of being killed on accident and has no impact on his chances of escape.

A meal is brought in. Some type of fish prepared in a Parthevian style he doesn’t recognize. It has a strong aroma with spices he can’t place but are familiar. The portion is very small, too, unlikely to be filling. Hakuryuu stares at it, reluctant to consider eating it, and his stomach growls loudly in disagreement.

Cyrus laughs. “It’s not poisoned or anything. I have no desire to kill you.”

Hakuryuu sighs and takes a bite. Starving is just as likely to be the death of him as poison. There’s too much seasoning and the fish is a little undercooked.

“Prince Hakuryuu,” Cyrus says while Hakuryuu picks at the meal, “I think an alliance between the two of us would be quite fortuitous. At this point in your life, there aren’t many other worthwhile paths open to you.

What have you accomplished in the four years you’ve been away from Kou’s capital? Nothing. Your own people fail to respect or value you. How do you think I got you here so easily?”

Hakuryuu stopped listening in the middle of that. The last part catches his attention, but he fails to play it back in his head in a way that makes sense. “What did you say?”

“A great deal of your soldiers have already agreed to join forces with me. They allowed my people into your camp and made it possible to transport you here without a problem. I didn’t have to offer much.” His voice is like white noise, but Hakuryuu can still hear it clearly in spite of that. “Your people are dissatisfied because you aim too low, Prince Hakuryuu. When you lack ambition, your soldiers don’t see a reason to support you.”

His headache started to recede, but the pounding is renewed through anxiety. Hidden somewhere under the hurt of betrayal is fury, and under that, fear. “So what you’re suggesting is I find a goal by following you?”

“Not at all. We’d be equals of course, though if you were to look to me for guidance it wouldn’t be unexpected. But what I’m suggesting you do is more along the lines of breaking away from the Kou Empire’s influence. You are a valuable prince, but aren’t there many things you have to be careful doing because of that? What I’m suggesting, what I’m offering you, is freedom.”

Hakuryuu has experience dealing with idiots, but not delusional idiots. It’s useless, but he decides to say, wryly, “So all I have to do is agree and you’ll release me?”

“Yes, though it’s not that simple. You need to mean it. I really do want to work with you. I think you’re a very bright young man. It’d be a waste to let you go on as you are.” Cyrus stands up. “Please consider the things I have told you, Prince Hakuryuu. I will return.”

And with that, Hakuryuu is left alone.

There’s nothing in the room he can fashion into an efficient weapon. With enough effort he could probably break a piece off a chair, but he wouldn’t be able to sharpen it to a point and it wouldn’t last long. Hakuryuu has never picked a lock in his life, and the door looks to be completely smooth anyway. Perhaps he can somehow get away when they bring him a meal. Unless they continue to feed him only after he’s grown lethargic.

What will they do to him if he makes an effort to escape? Probably nothing. Starve him maybe. Not to mention if he does get out of this room, he has no idea what the layout is or how many soldiers are patrolling. Which means… he has to wait here until either Judar or his siblings come for him. How embarrassing.

But in the meantime… He pushes away the unfinished dish and crawls onto the bed. He can think of what to do when he feels better, if he feels better.


	3. Chapter 3

Keeping track of the time is impossible. Light comes in from somewhere, not outside since it’s constant, and it reaches all the room’s corners. It’s faint light, too, not excessively irritating but maintaining an odd sense of weight over the room.

He’s given meals completely at random. Once, he received two meals within an hour, before he finished the one he had. Another time he was given one meal, and then not given another until some time after he’d fallen asleep and woken back up. Sometimes he wakes up to find a lukewarm plate waiting for him at the table.

The first few days he slept a lot, because there was nothing else to do and his body felt like it was weighed down by water. Doing that, however, especially screwed up his sense of time and he has no idea how long he’s been here. Cyrus won’t tell him when he asks anymore. He just smiles.

In the past hours or days or weeks Hakuryuu has come to the conclusion that there is a high likelihood that he’s being drugged. There’s a haze over everything. When he stands up it feels like his head is filled with bubbles that want to float off but his skull is in the way. His limbs move like they’re expecting to slip through space. It’s made him paranoid, and he doesn’t know which he’s supposed to prefer, starvation or a drug-induced blur. They’re equally awful. If he stops eating, the affects will probably continue to last for some time, anyway.

That’s not why being drugged wins, though. It doesn’t even win because it’s easier to handle and at least keeps him awake. Being drugged is preferable simply because after some amount of time has passed he starts to hallucinate. That’s probably not a good thing when his captor visits frequently, sometimes shaking him awake to talk at him for hours, but his hallucinations are of Judar. 

The environment distorts around him and he’ll see startling things at the edge of his vision, but at the center of it is Judar, clearer than anything else in the room. Talking to a very convincing figment of his imagination is better than nothing, because every incarnation of Judar that could possibly exist wants him safe and happy. 

With Judar beside him, Hakuryuu lies in bed for hours, sometimes forgetting to so much as pick at the meager servings they bring him. They talk, and it may all be in his head or he may be speaking aloud, but it is immensely comforting all the same.

“We’ll definitely kill this guy after I get you,” Judar says, leaning in. His hair shadows his face conspiratorially. “We’ll kill him. We can kill everyone else too.”

“You’re so slow. What if I give in, or they break me and I do what he wants. What then? Will you drag me away because you think you know best?”

“Hmm. In that case, I guess we’d do that until you came to your senses. And then we’d kill them. Maybe we could kill him and take over this place. That would be good.”

“You always wanna kill people.”

“I do not. It’s just the best option usually. I never wanna kill you,” he says with his sweetest smile, inching closer.

“That isn’t as romantic as you think.”

Judar’s fingers reach out to touch his cheek, and then loop his hair around them. “Sure it is. What’s not romantic about it?”

Hakuryuu rolls toward Judar and into the pillow. “Context, Judar. You get too excited, and then wanna kill people. Or I take too long to decide something and your suggestion is to kill people. It’s always impractical.”

“It’s a good motivator, though, right?”

“No.” As a hand gently presses into his hair, he says, “I wish you were really here.”

“I know. I’ll get you soon, though. I wouldn’t be a very good bodyguard otherwise. You can hold out a little longer, can’t you?”

When he closes his eyes, he’s assaulted with a terrible spinning sensation, like the room and bed are moving around him. He can feel Judar’s fingers trail through his hair and down his neck. He nods. “Self-proclaimed bodyguard,” he mumbles.

“If you let me sleep in your tent this kind of thing wouldn’t happen. We wouldn’t be able to sneak around, but if you’re gonna go around getting kidnapped all the time…”

“Shut up.”

“I’m not making fun of you, honest.”

Hakuryuu sits up, and Judar mirrors him perfectly. He sighs. “It’s fine.”

Judar stretches out, tilting to the side so he can look up at Hakuryuu. His hands circle to outside Hakuryuu’s knees, and he kisses the air. “Because you love me, right, Hakuryuu?”

Hakuryuu reaches his hand out to Judar’s braid but stops short, thinking Judar will vanish into nothing if he dares to go through with touching any part of him. “That’s right.”

“Aren’t you gonna say it? Or are you too embarrassed, even when you’re all alone. That’s kind of cute, but also kind of annoying.”

“No. I do love you. But… why should I say it when you aren’t around to hear it?”

“You don’t like the Judar of your dreams as much as the real thing? You’re so cold, Hakuryuu.”

Hakuryuu pulls up his knee and sets his chin on it. “This isn’t a dream.”

“As far as you know.”

“Stop.”

He presses his fingers against his temple. The headache is so dull he can almost forget it’s there most times. As he becomes aware of it the pounding renews. He covers his ears with his hands, and Judar’s hands overlap them.

Without sound, Judar says, “Everything is going to be okay, because I’m going to find you no matter what.”

The door being abruptly slammed opened makes Hakuryuu pull back as though he isn’t alone. The heavy wood of it banging against the wall creates a horrible echo that has his body curling in. He finds his hands twisted in the duvet instead of his hair. Judar is nowhere to be seen and the room beyond his bed is a messy painting where the colors bleed into each other.

As he always does, Cyrus greets him with, “Prince Hakuryuu, how are you doing today?” as he always does, no matter how much time has passed. Like he wants to trick Hakuryuu into believing days have passed instead of hours, weeks instead of days, months.

At first Hakuryuu said nothing to his greetings, but Cyrus doesn’t leave until he’s said his piece, and he doesn’t continue until Hakuryuu has verbally acknowledged him. A couple times Hakuryuu fell asleep trying to wait him out, and when he woke up Cyrus was still be there.

For his part, Hakuryuu doesn’t really know to how answer. This isn’t the sort of mind game he he’ll tolerate playing. “I could be worse.”

Cyrus saunters over and takes a seat on the bed, which makes Hakuryuu scoot further back on instinct. Nothing’s been done to him, so far as he knows anyway, but Hakuryuu doesn’t want to let his impaired guard down for more than a second.

“Have you been considering my proposal as I advised?”

“There’s nothing to consider,” Hakuryuu says, and he has the unpleasant sensation that his words aren’t syncing with the movement of his mouth.

Oblivious, Cyrus sighs with disappointment and shakes his head. 

Judar appears to drape his arms around Cyrus’s shoulders. A finger slices across his unprotected throat. “Why haven’t you attacked him, Hakuryuu? Just… choke him with the sheet or something.”

Hakuryuu glares at Judar, but quickly drops his gaze so Cyrus doesn’t think it’s directed at him. Testing his temper is the last thing Hakuryuu wants to do. He swallows and tries to focus. “Why do you even want to work with me?”

“Good question. Mostly because you’re a prince. That affords you a certain level of respect, if not from your countrymen, then certainly from officials and nobility from all over the world. Now, don’t look at me like that, I’m not trying to insult you. These are just facts.”

“Just to be clear, what is your plan for when the emperor finds out about this?”

“Your brother will know when you inform him of your intention to ally with me. Although, if that does take a tad too long and your brother decides to look for you, we can always go out to sea for a time. It’s no trouble.”

“Kill him, Hakuryuu,” Judar whispers at Cyrus’s ear. “Kill him. How dare he think he can do this to you. Kill him!”

Hakuryuu wraps the blankets around his wrists and hands so they don’t act on their own. Cyrus notes this, and the corner of his mouth twitches like he finds it amusing.

Judar offers a smile of his own, a menacing snarl with teeth sharp. “Kill him. Lunge at him, push him to the ground, squeeze the life from him. Look at what he’s done to you! He doesn’t deserve to live. He doesn’t get to live.”

Hakuryuu twists his hands up further. The fabric digs into his skin, cutting off circulation, but it’s not enough to dispel Judar. Though he knows it will be ineffective, he closes his eyes to block out Judar’s voice. Lately he keeps doing that, suggesting Hakuryuu go on the offensive no matter how foolish doing so would be. 

A cool hand, nearly ice cold, is pressed to his forehead. For a moment he relaxes into it, because it’s comforting. It manages to trick him into thinking Judar is actually there, but then he remembers, and flinches back as though struck.

“Are you feeling unwell, Prince Hakuryuu?”

“I’m fine. Just… tired.” Cyrus’s hand reaches out again and Hakuryuu pulls away. “Please don’t touch me,” he says, weaker than intended, more pleading than demanding.

“Ah, I suppose you are still a kid,” he says indulgently, patronizingly, and Hakuryuu’s cheeks burn in response.

Judar is frowning at him, and his expression turns dark as his head lolls to once again glare at Cyrus.

“Would you leave me alone for a while?"

“Of course. Perhaps I’ll call for a doctor for you while I’m at it.”

“Ah… Please don’t.”

Cyrus gives him one last look. “That will depend on you.”

Hakuryuu leans over, pressing his face to the blankets, and Judar wraps around him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this I realized Judar is literally unstoppable to anyone without a metal vessel/magic. It’s a waste of his use to let him go gallivanting about with Hakuryuu, but I’m sure that’s an ulterior motive anyway. In a “Hakuryuu is kind of his handler” sort of way.

The base Hakuryuu is being kept at is underground, which made it annoying to locate. Judar has managed to find three entrances so far. All of them are basically crevices hidden amongst the foliage. What gives them away are the soldiers exiting and entering. They do their best to remain unseen, but there isn’t much they can do in this environment. 

Their soldiers couldn’t provide him with a location, only a direction. Apparently Hakuryuu only met with him at some halfway point between the two camps. First Judar had to find where they’d met in the preceding weeks and work out the trail from there. With a little magic, it wasn’t too difficult.

Judar gets anxious sitting outside the base, because Hakuryuu is somewhere under here waiting for him. This has to be gone about the right way. He can’t charge in without a plan, but there’s nothing to plan with. He doesn’t know the layout or how man soldiers are inside. He has no idea where Hakuryuu might be once he gets inside.

To get around the possibility of being seen, Judar decides to camouflage his presence through light magic. Since he was young he’s been taught to rely on magic last. Kind of like a trump card, though Hakuryuu isn’t fond of him calling it that. He says it gives an impression that he isn’t a magician, but it’s not like Judar avoids using magic in combat. He just does it subtly. After all, he loves magic too much to forego it until it’s absolutely necessary to succeed.

The rukh circling him shimmer from white to translucent, reflecting his surroundings but not him. They wrap around him like a cloak so light it can’t be felt.

As he approaches the guards near the entrance his fingertips twitch, and it occurs to him that it’s definitely possible to get Hakuryuu and get out without being seen at all and without casualties. It’s possible, but not something he has interest in pursuing.

His hands curl around both his daggers as they pass each other, and he turns to face their backs as he considers the merit of digging his blades into their necks. There’s little more than a split second of consideration before he’s lunging forward, stabbing into the outside of both their necks, forcing them together as he throws his weight into them, bringing all three of them to the ground.

He jerks the blades up, tearing the guards’ necks open. Blood gushes and spurts the dirt. Their screams are wet and garbled, pained as they desperately try to extend out so somebody can hear them. Their attempts to draw attention simultaneously amuse and enrage him. He pulls his daggers free and uses them to stab the backs of their necks, and wrenches down like a lever. The killing blow that leaves them limp and empty eyed.

Judar wipes the blades on their clothing before getting up and hopping away from the bodies. Panting from exhilaration, he grins and sheaths his weapons. He feels a little gratified, but the feeling dissipates as he turns back towards the base keeping Hakuryuu captive. The partially covered entrance leads into a pitch black that fails to hint at what may lie within.

The rukh whirl as he descends, tittering, adjusting to the change in light to keep him hidden from all eyes. 

The rukh also provide minimal illumination, enough for him to see the walls on either side of him and about an arm’s length in front. There are torches along the walls in the distance, and they make the hallway look like it goes on forever. Even as he walks further along, the opening doesn’t seem to get any closer.

It doesn’t take long to start coming across the soldiers once he gets into the base proper, where it’s brighter and there are more torches. The walls are stone and steel, like it’s still the process of being constructed. And oddly, though this should be a Kou base—one admittedly at the edge of Kou—there’s nothing in the architecture to indicate it as such. It’s clinical and stripped, but he can’t tell if there was ever anything here in the first place.

The hallways are cramped, maybe three or four people standing shoulder to shoulder in width. It makes it annoying to maneuver around the soldiers. The base itself is like a maze that’s all the harder to traverse when all the hallways look alike. It’s winding and there are nonsensical loops and dead ends and not that many rooms. All he’s managed to come across so far are a kitchen, a lounge, and a storeroom.

There’s no hint of Hakuryuu. No one mentions him, not directly and not in passing. He supposes that it would be unlikely for Hakuryuu to remain a hot topic of conversation after nearly two weeks. The few traitorous Kou soldiers he comes across don’t mention either, and that’s somehow more irritating.

Looking becomes tiresome quickly. He doesn’t have all day and night to waste wandering around. Neither does Hakuryuu. Hakuryuu has waited for him long enough and is probably going to complain that Judar didn’t pick him up sooner.

The next secluded soldier he finds, one rifling through someone’s belongings in a barracks, he confronts. He gets a thrill from the way the soldier panics when Judar grabs his collar and roughly forces him to the wall. His hands automatically grab Judar’s in confusion. His eyes wildly dart back and forth, but fail to find anything out of place.

The rukh fall like a curtain, revealing his upper body, and Judar grins at the look of disbelief and fear he gets. The hands around his wrists weaken, uncertain of reality, and fall away as Judar moves one hand to the man’s throat and the other to his stomach.

“Where’s Hakuryuu?”

“Wh-what?”

Judar knows that’s nothing more than a stunned reaction, but he’s still annoyed. He places his thumb at the man’s Adam’s apple and presses his nail in. “The prince of the Kou Empire, Ren Hakuryuu. I’m here to pick him up, so where is he?”

The man gives him a desperate, pleading look. His head hits the walls and his eyes go the ceiling. “I don’t know. I have no idea where the prince is being kept. That’s—That’s not my job.”

Judar conjures a shard of ice in his hand, and has to use the other to cover the soldier’s mouth when he lets out a frightened yelp as the ice pokes him. “Even if it’s not your job, you should know where he’s being kept, right? Or at least know someone who does know. Tell me.”

The soldier’s head hits the wall and his eyes go to the ceiling as if the day couldn’t possibly get any worse. He’s wrong, of course. “I—I don’t know. I can’t remember. Ah, fuck. Give me a minute.”

“Take all the time you need. But keep in mind that I can’t wait forever,” he says while closing his hand, while pushing the freezing icicle further in as the seconds pass.

The man swears again, fidgets, looks anywhere but at Judar. “Please,” he utters as if he can see Judar plans to kill him regardless, as if his blood is already draining.

Judar inclines his head as though sympathetic. “Then tell me where Hakuryuu is.”

The man shakes his head. “I can’t. I can’t help you. I don’t know where he is. I don’t know who does know.”

Judar sighs. “How about the dungeon. He should be there, right?”

“He’s not. No, he’s not. Not long after he was brought here he was moved to a guest room.”

“So he shouldn’t be deeper underground, then?”

“I don’t think so. It’s a nice room, I heard.”

“That’s not a consolation,” he says, and stabs into the man’s stomach.

He lets the man slide to the floor, clutching at the wound, gasping. Will he be able to call for help like this? Will he be able to move? How long will it take for someone to find him?

Those questions don’t matter.

Judar stabs him again and moves on.

A magic that could find Hakuryuu quickly and efficiently probably exists, but Judar has no idea what it might be. Echolocation through sound magic maybe, or life magic could work somehow he’s pretty sure, like if he could zone in on Hakuryuu’s unique life signature or something. If he commands the rukh to light up a path to Hakuryuu, will they do it? Can they? 

In the end, Judar decides the best method is to continue opening every door he comes across in hopes one will contain Hakuryuu. The base isn’t as large as it feels, and at this point he must be close. It’s not like his path has had much overlap. To accelerate his progress, Judar switches to flying.

More barracks, an armory, several dead ends, a study, some other rooms, and finally a barred door.

Finding it is a little surreal because of how out of place it looks, like it should have been the first thing he found. Although that does mean it’s unlikely he overlooked it and has possibly been wandering in circles for nearly an hour.

With minor anxiety, he pulls the heavy bar up, and then decides to rot the wood with magic, just in case it falls or is a trap or something. The door is so heavy he thinks he’s going to have to ram it, but once it’s into the room it swings right open, revealing the bland prison they’ve reserved for his prince. 

He cautiously enters and is a tiny bit disheartened when he doesn’t see Hakuryuu. He scans the room a few times from where he is, and then calls out, “Hakuryuu?”

He frowns and tries again, to again no response.

His anxiety grows, and he decides to move toward the bed. After pushing the curtain aside it’s easy to spot him hidden under the blankets, and Judar smiles before he knows if relief is the appropriate reaction or not. He pulls the covers over, breath catching at the sight of Hakuryuu unhurt.

It takes more shakes than it should to rouse him. So many Judar fears something might be wrong. But Hakuryuu groans and his eyes flutter half-open with great effort. Upon seeing Judar, he mumbles and closes his eyes again.

“Hakuryuu, come on. We don’t have time for this.” He pulls him up and Hakuryuu falls against him. “Hakuryuu.”

“Judar…? What are you doing?”

“Saving you. Can you get up? Hakuryuu. Hey. ” He holds Hakuryuu’s face and tries to make eye contact. His skin is warm. His eyes are red. “What did they do to you?”

“I’m tired.”

Judar nods. “Okay. Okay.” He turns around. “Get on my back. Like when we were little. Arms around my neck. You good?”

Hakuryuu isn’t especially heavy, but it’s been a long time since Judar’s carried him and he staggers when he stands up. He shifts Hakuryuu up a little more so the hilts of his daggers won’t poke him.

In the distance he can hear the echo of footsteps mobilizing. The body he left must have been found by now. Other than that fact the soldiers that used to be theirs know he’s coming for him, there should be no reason to think the body has anything to do with Hakuryuu. Still, it’s probably normal to check on prisoners when there’s a breach in security.

Once in the hall, and the noise becomes louder but not necessarily closer, Judar carefully lifts the both of them into the air. It’s a little trying to maintain steady height and invisibility. Plus the halls aren’t that tall, so Judar has to keep his knees up so some unexpected soldier won’t charge right into them while running past.

Hakuryuu moans and fidgets, forcing Judar to find his balance. “Judar?”

Judar reaches his hand up to touch Hakuryuu’s head. “You gotta keep quiet for a bit.”

Hakuryuu nods and adjusts his hold.

Unfortunately, Judar cannot remember the route he took or how to find the exit, but it’s less daunting when he already has what he came for. Soldiers bustle and panic below them. A few times Judar has to rush to the side to avoid getting hit by a passing spear, but other than they’re safe and unseen. It’s actually kind of amusing to see them looking frantically for an intruder that’s right above them.

As soon as they’re outside and in the trees, Judar dispels the magic shielding them. He rolls out his magic carpet and lays Hakuryuu, who’s fallen asleep, on it. There’s nothing obviously wrong with him, no bruising or lacerations Judar can find. His breathing is normal, too, and his heartbeat is steady, as far as Judar can tell. When he gets the chance, he’s definitely going to improve his medical knowledge.

He nudges him. “Hakuryuu, I’m gonna move us. We aren’t safe yet.”

He lifts the magic carpet several feet and moves them forward around trees and underbrush. This isn’t really the best environment for flying. Branches snap and leafs scatter to the ground as they make their ascent. Other bits of tree litter the carpet and them as they go. Once above the trees, Judar lifts them even higher, so they’ll be no more than a blot in the sky to anyone who happens to look up.

Judar wipes the burs and bark and other tree remnants around them over the edge. He pulls Hakuryuu into his lap and braids his hair over and over to keep himself occupied while waiting for him to wake up.


	5. Chapter 5

Hakuryuu hasn’t woken up. The sun has nearly set and Judar is exhausted, hungry, and ready to stop at the first convenient location that shows itself so he can sleep for the next few days. But that needs to wait until after Hakuryuu has woken up and spoken to him with clear eyes.

He doesn’t know if Hakuryuu being this unmoving is cause for concern or not, but either way he doesn’t like it. He wants Hakuryuu to unconsciously recognize his presence and pull closer, for him to groan and twist to look up at him, to smile, reach out for him, and go back to sleep with the awareness he is safe and Judar is there.

Judar sighs and brushes Hakuryuu’s hair aside so he can see his face. At least he doesn’t look distressed. He drags his fingers across Hakuryuu’s forehead, which is hot or maybe just warm; he doesn’t know what a fever feels like. “You’re gonna wake up soon, right?”

Because of all the anxiety, anger, planning, and other stuff crowding him there wasn’t time to bother with it before, but now that Hakuryuu is back with him all his loneliness is choosing to surface at once. That Hakuryuu is right here, curled up in his lap breathing soundly, does not lessen the ache any. Rather, it makes him viscerally aware of how intense and overwhelming a sensation it is.

Because it’s been two weeks. Judar hasn’t spoken, seen, or known if Hakuryuu was okay for two weeks. They spend lots of time apart, but it’s never completely cut off. There’s always some way to communicate, especially during riskier stuff.

It’s stupid to be this upset. He’s not even thinking of the what ifs or what did happen, and he’s not thinking about the things he wants to do to the traitors and enemies in that stupid base. He just selfishly doesn’t want to have to wait to talk to Hakuryuu. 

He longs for the future where he teases Hakuryuu about the time he was kidnapped already.

The rukh chirp at him in response to his panic or stress or whatever it is that’s preventing his mood from lifting, and… it’s annoying. It’s always annoying, but something in it tempers the frantic ends of his nerves. Doesn’t get rid of them, but provides a buffer that makes his emotions seem more disconnected from him than they actually are.

Judar takes a shaking breath. He checks Hakuryuu’s pulse because he knows how, and then keeps his fingers around Hakuryuu’s wrist after because he can’t quite bring himself to let go.

He’s so tired.

His other hand runs through Hakuryuu’s hair and tugs very gently so he doesn’t disturb him. “If I call you selfish for wanting to sleep, will you say I’m a hypocrite? That’s fine with me.”

Against his better judgment, Judar lowers his body to rest on Hakuryuu’s lower half. He crosses his arms and looks out at the deep blue sky, at the surplus of stars blotting out the dark. It’s pretty. That’s not something he usually ever notices, but so high up like this, with the sky so large it practically wraps around them, and the last streaks of light extending somewhere from behind, it’s as if just this once it expects the awe it’s due. But Hakuryuu isn’t awake to share it, so what’s really the point. Without him, its beauty is cut by half, maybe more.

He checks, then double checks. Yup. Still asleep.

He shifts so he can look at Hakuryuu instead of the sky, and though he tries to refrain, he allows his eyes to drift shut. If he falls asleep, the magic keeping them up will evaporate and they’ll fall to their deaths. Hakuryuu wouldn’t appreciate being rescued only to die shortly thereafter. At least they’d die together. That’s something, surely. Better than dying alone.

Judar wants to get them to a village of some sort before stopping for the night. Some cave or canopy made of trees isn’t a very good place to rest. What if it gets too hot or humid? What if it rains? Or what if some wild animal approaches them while they sleep?

Judar forces himself to sit up and presses his fingers against his eyes. It’s completely dark now, and he can’t see far enough ahead to know if there’s a safe location to stop nearby.

There isn’t really a choice. The magic carpet is lowering on its own as if it can sense he’s close to passing out. He commands the rukh to spread, illuminating the path ahead. They’ve made it to an area that’s mostly plains, but there are mountains in the distance. Those, however, they won’t make it to for another day or two. 

He’d kept away from the road at first, but now he’s drifted back to it in hopes of finding a caravan or tribe or something. That may not actually be a good idea, according to some of the rumors he’s heard, but Judar is confident about getting them out of whatever trouble they might find themselves in. Plus, no one should be able to recognize Hakuryuu on sight. Especially not like this. What he’s wearing is high quality, but it’s worn and doesn’t give him away as a prince, so they should be fine.

Because things won’t go Judar’s way when he actually really wants them to, they don’t come across anyone else. He persists for nearly an hour before giving in.

He takes them away from the road again and finds a spot under the first large tree he finds. When he left their camp he took little with him, and then he didn’t want to go back to whatever remained there once he found Hakuryuu. The few supplies he bought at villages prior to rescuing Hakuryuu is all he has, and it’s not much. Some food that definitely doesn’t constitute a meal, some water, some clothes, a couple of blankets—although those he did bring with him from their camp.

He backs up against the trunk, bringing Hakuryuu with him, pulling him up as he closes his arms around him. Hakuryuu isn’t going to like waking up like this, probably. It will be lonely, but maybe like this, held in Judar’s arms, he won’t wake up scared.

When he wakes up some hours later, it’s because of Hakuryuu’s fingers poking and pulling his face. He’d been sort of hoping he’d instinctually wake up a few minutes before Hakuryuu, but this is fine, too, since Hakuryuu isn’t taking the situation poorly. His eyes are distant, like he’s looking at Judar through fog. 

He belatedly notices Judar being awake, and cocks his head. “Judar, you’re…” he blinks hard and frowns, “here.” He gently pinches his cheek and pulls.

“I’m here.” Judar grins. He pokes Hakuryuu’s forehead, trails up into his hair. He grins a little wider. “I rescued you.”

Hakuryuu nods, more absently than in agreement. “Bodyguard.”

It’s exceedingly minor, but Hakuryuu saying that one word makes his heart soar. “That’s right, I’m your bodyguard.” He waits to see if Hakuryuu will speak, then says, “Are you okay?”

Hakuryuu focuses on him. It takes a minute for him to speak. “Thirsty.”

Judar already has everything prepared. He produces a canteen from the side, and while Hakuryuu opens it and drinks he says, “Are you hungry? There’s not much, but I got some dried meat and fruits and stuff.”

Hakuryuu grimaces. “I don’t want to eat, Judar.”

“Okay.” He cups Hakuryuu’s cheek. “What’s wrong?”

Hakuryuu looks at him, then down. “Is it true?”

“Huh? Is what true?”

Hakuryuu grabs his upper arms. He leans in but doesn’t look up at him. “You know what.”

Oh. Right. The treasonous bastards that traded him for nothing. Anger must show on his face, because Hakuryuu crumbles. His fingers dig into Judar’s arms and he folds in on himself. “What am I doing wrong?” he asks with a tight voice.

Tears hit his fingers. Not just the one either, but a steady stream of tears that are accompanied by soft, muffled sobbing. “You’re not doing anything wrong,” Judar says with conviction.

“How do you know? How _can_ you know?”

“Because I do.”

“ _How_?”

“Because—” he shouldn’t say it “—I’m a magi.”

Hakuryuu pushes him weakly. “That’s not an answer.” He hiccups and slumps against him more than he already is. “What does that even mean? That doesn’t mean anything.”

It’s precisely what Hakuryuu doesn’t need, but Judar can feel panic starting to form somewhere inside him. He’s never been good at words, and words are what Hakuryuu responds to most. When Judar says the wrong thing, Hakuryuu always takes it in some unforeseen, unique way that’s utterly nonsensical. 

“Hakuryuu,” Judar says, closing around his prince like a borg, “nobody else matters, that’s what it means. You’re my king and everyone else is boring filler.”

Completely missing the point, as he usually does when Judar brings this up, Hakuryuu says, “No I’m not and I can’t be.” And from there his speech is broken up by sobs and his voice strains, making it hard to hear the few words that can be made out. From what he’s able to piece together, it seems to be something about his family members and how something like this wouldn’t have happened to any of them.

“Not _the_ king, Hakuryuu, _my_ king. It’s different. Maybe even better. Probably better. Hey.” He tilts Hakuryuu’s head up when he won’t respond. “Hey, Hakuryuu, come on. Who cares? It’s not like you handpicked any of those soldiers. It’s not like we could trust them in the first place, you know? Right?”

That he’s this distressed makes Judar suspect something was done to him, or said to him, but Hakuryuu has a history of overthinking and overreacting. When he does both at the same time it’s always especially bad. This isn’t even the worst he’s seen him by a long shot.

Hakuryuu’s eyes and cheeks are red, his lower lip and jaw are both trembling as he takes long breaths to try and calm down. He’s looking right into Judar’s eyes and gripping his arms with so much pressure it hurts. Seeing him like this sort of makes Judar want to cry too. Though, if he does cry, then Hakuryuu will likely start crying again.

Hakuryuu’s hands go to Judar’s chest and press him against the tree, forcing his back to straighten. He shifts around as he gets a look at their surroundings. When he looks back to Judar his expression is lost, like he’s not sure what to make of where they are and Judar is supposed to fill him in. And Judar’s about to, but before he can, Hakuryuu gives him a forceful kiss that takes him so off guard his head hits the tree, disorienting him.

Judar brings his hands up in response, but rather than do anything, they just hang in the air. While Hakuryuu eases his thighs apart, his hands remain up as he half-mindedly responses to the kissing. Normally—and this isn’t an exception by any means—rough and domineering Hakuryuu is one of his favorite moods, but this is noticeably out of place. Like, Hakuryuu was crying a minute ago. Maybe he’s about to cry again and is trying to distract himself. 

Judar doesn’t want to mess around if Hakuryuu is in the middle of crying miserably. But it’s been so long since Hakuryuu’s touched him and he needs it, so he slinks down and opens his legs wider as Hakuryuu’s hand moves along his inner thigh. He jerks his hips a little when Hakuryuu’s palm settles, unmoving between his legs.

His hands go to the sides of Hakuryuu’s head and he arches his body to get them closer together. “Ah, Hakuryuu, I missed you. I missed you so, so much. Don’t ever get kidnapped again, okay?”

Hakuryuu gives him a look that borders on dark, but instead of saying of saying anything he responds with a biting kiss, which prompts Judar to bite back, although far more playfully. They continue to kiss, and Judar moans as Hakuryuu repeats a circular motion with his palm. The heel of his hand massages and his fingertips tease.

Judar moans again, slinking further down and wrapping his legs around his prince and king’s waist. The position is a little awkward for his neck and back but it barely registers. His hands drop to clasp behind Hakuryuu’s neck to hold himself up, and smiles slowly. He rotates his hips to go against Hakuryuu’s hand.

“Hakuryuu,” he whines, “are you mad at me? I’m sorry I took so long to get you. It won’t happen again, because I won’t let anyone take you ever again. I promise—as a magi to his king, I promise, I swear, I vow, that something like this will never happen to you again.”

“What if you fail?” Hakuryuu asks while slowing his movement to an unbearable extent.

Judar leans back, beside the tree. “I won’t. Ah—Hakuryuu, I dunno. I dunno, but I’ll do my best. I’ll do all I can, and I’ll always always come for you, no matter what, and you can punish me all you want after. How’s that? Is that okay? Hakuryuu. Hakuryuu, there’s nothing I won’t do for you.”

Hakuryuu stops, and Judar cannot believe any of what he said would be a wrong thing to say, which means Hakuryuu is just being mean. How can he be so mean after Judar was so sweet? That’s more than unfair.

Right when Judar is thinking about saying something, Hakuryuu looks into Judar’s eyes meaningfully and says, “I wanna go home.”

“Home? Rakushou home?”

Hakuryuu nods and leans forward to rest against him. “Take me home, Judar.”

“Yeah. Of course. Let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh I really hope you were able to enjoy it, Athina /w\
> 
> Sudden end for aforementioned reasons, as well as general trouble ;;; Forgive me. I will do better in the future. In fact, there is another chapter, but in its current state I feel it would be irresponsible to add. Also, this works as is. It's just... things. Things I will explain if you wish.
> 
> It was good to write something different from what I have been writing, even if that means I am not super confident. When I write certain things I get all, “Is this how people write? Do I need to go read a bunch of books to understand? How is my word count to story content ratio?” And none of that is ever helpful or worthwhile haha.
> 
> And as long as you like it everything is okay! Because you are who it is written for. So I hope that you do. Ah… I will say more words at you later.


End file.
